newyorker

New Yorker on Andy Byford's first 6 months

• Source: William Finnegan, "Can Andy Byford Save the Subways?," The New Yorker, July 9, 2018. link
• Tags: byford

New Yorker on Bob Kiley

• MTA offices were at 347 Madison Avenue, near Grand Central
• Britain's Labour party still (2004) gets most of its funding from unions
• Kiley wanted public bondds to finance Tube improvements, Blair and Treasury wanted to use PPPs, let to privatization of the Tube
• Tube control was transfered to TfL in July 2004
• Kiley was chair of MTA from 1983 to 1990, took over the Underground at age 68
• Margaret Thatcher abolished the Greater London Council in 1986, which was led by Ken Livingstone
• Blair government engaged in massive devolution and recreated independent municipal government in London, but did not want to hand over control of the Underground with Livingstone as mayor
• TfL was newly created
• Kiley's subway chief at MTA was David Gunn
  • They also worked together at MBTA
  • Gunn briefly joined Kiley in London, but ran Amtrak at the time of this article
• Appointed to Amtrak Board of Directors by Clinton in 1993
• Known for engaging in public fights with New York's transit labor unions
• "This would be a three-fer," Kiley said about the opportunity to lead in London, after running the old subway systems in Boston and NYC
• Source: "Underground Man," The New Yorker, February 9, 2004. link
• Source: "The Talk of the Town: Robert Kiley," The New Yorker, October 31, 1983. link
• Tags: kiley mta tfl

New Yorker on Ravitch-era capital plans

• Date: June 25, 1984

• Capital plan approved by NY state legislature, June 24, 1981

  • NYT
• 1981 tax plan would come up $250mil short, so the legislature passed a 2-year corporate franchise tax in 1982 to make up the difference
  • This was after the long-lines tax on transportation companies was uncollectible
    • State is not allowed to tax interstate commerce, but they attempted to tax, say, a plane ticket from Albany to Washington's New York state component - also prohibited by federal law - which one?
• Pullman had scandal involving cracked undercarriages on R46s
  • MTA won $72mil judgement from Pullman in December 1981
• Kawasaki and Bombardier deal led to R62s and R62As
• p65 - Cuomo wanted to reorganize MTA board after Bombardier deal - look for source
• Fall 1981 - Metromedia lease
• Dole's bill extended safe harbor leasing for transit to be delivered by 1987 (end of Bombardier bill)
• Enactment of state law barring MTA from bankruptcy after comment from Robert Gerrard, managing director of Dillon Read
• Congress passed measure giving MTA operating control of Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven commuter lines
  • Required $60mil transitional fund
• First capital program increased from $7.2bil to $8.5bil after 1982 federal gas tax increase
• Around time of Ravitch's resignation, Cuomo attempted to reorganize the board so that the chairman would not longer serve 6 year terms, but at the govenor's behest
  • isn't it still this way?
• MTA sued Grumman Flexible due to faulty chassis on buses and had to repay federal money for purchase to the UMTA
• 1983 NRDC report gave rare approval of MTA performance
• New bus depot opened in 1984 in Sunset Park because new buses were too large to enter old one
• After 12th derailment in 1983, red flags were put on track to signal 10mph sections
  • what is speed limit in today's restricted areas?
  • Subway track was supposed to receive two walking inspections a week
• City's water table had risen 10 feet over previous 30 years, sitting tunnels on water rather than ground
• Source: Lardner, James, "Painting the Elephant," The New Yorker, pp42-71, June 25, 1984. link
• Tags: articles capital-plan mta ravitch